In construction, success is often measured in contracts won, projects completed and margins maintained. But there’s another factor that directly affects all three—one that’s often overlooked: whether employees can see a future for themselves within the company.
Career paths offer employees a clear understanding of how they can grow within an organization. They’re more than just a ladder to promotion—they’re a strategic tool for building capabilities, developing future leaders and creating stability across the company.
RETHINKING THE TRADITIONAL CAREER PATH
Traditionally, career paths have been seen as linear progressions—moving “up” the hierarchy from one role to the next. But this approach limits flexibility and stifles capability. In many construction firms (and companies in general), employees often become deeply specialized. While that expertise can be valuable, it creates risk. If one person leaves—regardless of whether they’re a senior project manager or a heavy equipment operator—the organization can quickly become vulnerable.
In today’s environment, it is a strategic move to have employees that have held two or three jobs and possess multiple skills across the company.
FOUR KEY BENEFITS OF CAREER PATHING
In a labor-constrained industry like construction, career paths may be one of the most powerful tools available. They assist with recruitment, retention, leadership pipeline development and workforce flexibility as well as establishing a fortress of culture that is unique to your organization.
1. Recruitment: Becoming an Employer of Choice
Today’s workforce—particularly younger employees—want more than just a paycheck. They want to know that their employer will invest in their growth. When companies can present a visual map of potential career progressions from a given role, it sends a strong message: “We’ve thought about your future here.”
Word spreads that the company offers more than just a job—and that reputation becomes a powerful recruiting tool. Case in point: Josh Zolin, CEO of Windy City Equipment Service, says that while he knew of the benefit of using career paths for many years, he put creating them on the back burner. But once they were created and introduced to potential new hires, “I can’t tell you how many [employee] candidates we’ve gotten that have come in and said, ‘I chose you because you are going to show me how to get here. And no other company did that.’ It’s been a game changer for us.”
2. Retention: Giving Employees a Reason to Stay
Employees who don’t see a future with their current employer will seek one elsewhere. Career paths demonstrate that growth is possible and help tie professional development to real opportunities within the company. Companies that don’t have a path to future roles risk losing talented and skilled employees.
For example, a construction management firm in the Washington, D.C. area had an educational path to achieve PMP certification but no career path to match it. In 2020, three of five employees who had just achieved their PMP designation immediately looked outside the company for PM roles.
Conversely, firms that offer advancement—through new roles, responsibilities (such as procurement or liaising with government inspectors when they come on site) or internal certifications—will retain skilled talent and protect their investment in employee development.
3. Leadership Development: Building From Within
When companies hire leaders from the outside, it often takes time for them to learn the business, culture and client base. Promoting from within provides a shortcut. Employees who’ve been with the company understand how departments operate, who the customers are, and what the priorities and constraints look like on the ground.
Career paths make internal promotions more viable by identifying the path to leadership and developing those employees who show interest and commitment—long before a leadership role opens. Core States Group, a general contracting and engineering firm based in Georgia, has mapped career paths for various field-based roles and within the different markets that they serve. The company has also recently instituted a leadership development offering. According to Vice President Brian Baird, the intention is not only to help up-and-coming leaders to do their current jobs better, but for them to develop leadership abilities that will allow them to understand and work across business lines.
As those individuals move through different departments or functions, they gain the broad perspective that effective leaders need.
4. Flexibility and Cross-Training: Expanding Organizational Capacity
One of the biggest operational risks for construction firms is overspecialization. If employees can only perform one function, productivity can suffer during absences or unexpected disruptions.
Career paths should encourage lateral moves, making it easier to redeploy team members when needed. Martin Equipment, a John Deere dealer with nine locations in the Midwest, has developed cross-training for entry level technicians with the parts department and for small and large equipment sales. Next up, according to Owner DeLene Bane, the company is looking to expand from cross-training to creating career paths that will lead to management roles, giving employees more opportunities and the company more flexibility.
HOW TO START BUILDING CAREER PATHS
Career pathing starts with skills—not titles. Companies should identify adaptable, transferable skills and determine where else in the organization those skills could be applied. For instance, an employee with strong communication skills could thrive in customer service, training or business development roles.
Rather than designing paths as rigid sequences, it’s better to think in terms of options and mobility. One role may branch into several future possibilities depending on the employee’s interests and aptitude.
REALLY PUNCH IT UP
Companies can take it a step further by aligning career paths with learning paths. For every few trainings within a department, an employee might complete one in a different business function—like operations, finance or business development. This approach not only increases cross-departmental understanding, it helps future leaders see the business as a cohesive whole.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Career paths are a strategic investment. They afford your firm agility and the ability to grow without always having to hire from outside the company. They reduce hiring costs, increase retention and build the kind of institutional knowledge that leads to long-term success.
Construction companies that utilize career paths gain a competitive advantage in both workforce development and business performance. In an industry where expertise is essential and talent is scarce, helping employees envision a future inside the company is one of the smartest moves a contractor can make.
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